Headrest and foaming tool for foaming a headrest

ABSTRACT

The headrest ( 10 ), in particular for a vehicle, comprises a support element ( 14 ) integrated in a foam body ( 12 ). Here the support element ( 14 ) has a seat ( 16 ) for stabilizing the position of a foaming tool ( 20 ) extending into the headrest interior ( 18 ) during manufacture of the headrest. A foaming tool for the foaming of a corresponding headrest is furthermore proposed, the foaming tool ( 20 ) having a filling part ( 34 ), joined to which is a transfer part ( 36 ), which at the end extends into an outlet element ( 38 ). The transfer part ( 36 ) has a stabilizing part ( 40 ), which can be operatively connected to the seat ( 16 ) in the support element ( 14 ) of the headrest ( 10 ).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a headrest, in particular for a vehicle, havinga support element integrated in a foam body, according to theprecharacterizing part of claim 1.

The invention further relates to a foaming tool for foaming of theheadrest, the foaming tool having a filling part, to which is joined atransfer part, which at the end extends into an outlet element,according to the precharacterizing part of claim 8.

2. Related Art of the Invention

Headrests and foaming tools of the aforementioned type are known. DE 19633 749 A1, for example, discloses a headrest, which has a trim coverassembly of a box-like configuration, a frame arranged in the trim coverassembly, the frame being rotatably connected to the headrest stay, withthe headrest stay passing through the trim cover assembly, and a foamcushion element, which is manufactured by a foaming process with theframe situated in the trim cover assembly. For performing the foamingprocess an injection nozzle, which forms part of a foaming base materialdelivery device, is inserted into an injection opening in the trim coverassembly. A liquid foaming base material is injected by the nozzle intoa cavity in the trim cover assembly. The foaming process is thenperformed in a known manner, in order to form a foam cushion element inthe trim cover assembly, the frame being embedded in the cushionelement. In this way a complete headrest unit is formed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the invention is to propose a headrest of the typespecified in the introductory part, which in production engineeringterms is easy to manufacture.

A further object of the invention is to propose a suitable foaming toolfor the foaming of such a headrest.

The object is achieved by a headrest having the features of claim 1. Anoutstanding feature of the headrest according to the invention is thatthe support element has a seat for stabilizing the position of a foamingtool extending into the headrest interior during manufacture of theheadrest. This makes it possible to connect the foaming tool stably toits support element even during preassembly of the headrest, so that forfoaming of the headrest it is only necessary to bring a foaming unitinto external operative connection with the foaming tool protruding fromthe headrest interior. The foaming tool can be connected to the supportelement in various areas of the headrest. Particularly favourable areasare sewn areas of the outer cover of the headrest, since the foamingtool can extend through these sewn areas into the headrest interior asfar as the support element, without leaving an otherwise visible and/ortangible injection point on the outer covering of the finished headrest,adversely affecting the aesthetics of the headrest. The stableconnection of the foaming tool to the support element makes the headrestparticularly easy to manufacture from a production engineeringstandpoint and in particular allows the foaming process on the headrestto be performed correctly, whilst meeting very high qualityrequirements.

The seat advantageously takes the form of a wedged seat for receiving afree end of the foaming tool. A wedged seat is particularly well-suitedto the manufacture of a rapid, reliable connection between the foamingtool and the support element of the headrest.

The seat preferably takes the form of a through-opening for wedging afree end of the foaming tool. Such a seat is relatively easy to achievefrom a production engineering standpoint and allows a connection betweenthe foaming tool and the support element to be established from twodifferent sides, so that a single support element design can be used fordifferent embodiments of headrests.

According to a preferred embodiment the support element has a pluralityof foam mass through-openings and the seat is arranged between twothrough-openings. This makes it possible to ensure a correct foaming ofthe headrest on both sides of the support element, that is to say on thefront side and the rear side of the support element in relation to thefoaming tool, since the through-openings provided in the vicinity of thewedged seat allow the foam mass to penetrate through the support elementduring the foaming process.

The headrest may have a cover with a recess, the seat on the supportelement being arranged basically on a level with the recess. This makesit possible, for foaming of the headrest, to connect the foaming tool tothe interior of the headrest through the recess in the cover, it beingpossible to fix the foaming tool to the support element basically on alevel with the recess. The outward appearance of the headrest and inparticular its cover are therefore not adversely affected on completionof the foaming process.

The recess in the cover of the headrest is preferably arranged on therear side of headrest. Since the headrest cover, on completion, is notadversely affected by the foaming tool, the recess can be provided invarious areas of the headrest. For example, the recess may be situatedin a directly visible area of the headrest without the foaming processadversely affecting the aesthetics and/or the comfort characteristics ofthe headrest.

The object is further achieved by a foaming tool having the features ofclaim 8. The foaming tool is characterized in that the transfer part hasa stabilizing part, which can be operatively connected to the seat inthe headrest support element. Such a foaming tool can be readily fittedto form an operative connection with the support element of a respectiveheadrest and facilitates the manufacturing of headrests, particularly inseries production. The filling part may be funnel-shaped, the transferpart tubular and the outlet element in the form of a hose. Thestabilizing part is furthermore preferably of tongue-shaped design. Sucha stabilizing part allows the foaming tool to be stably connected to thesupport element, the tongue shape at the same time ensuring that thefoaming tool passes through a relatively small surface area of thecover.

At the end, the stabilizing part advantageously protrudes from thetransfer part in the direction of injection of the foam mass. Whilstensuring a stable positioning of the foaming tool on the supportelement, this allows the transfer part for transferring the foam massinto the headrest to have various geometries adapted to the respectiveheadrest contour.

In the outlet area of the outlet element the stabilizing part may havean external contour directing the foam mass. In production engineeringterms, such external contours are relatively easy to produce on thefoaming tool. In this embodiment the stabilizing part therefore servesthe function both of fixing the foaming tool in relation to the supportelement and of directing a foam mass in the interior of the headrestduring a foaming process.

Where necessary, it is possible to connect the stabilizing part to across-member, which is formed at the free end of the transfer part. Sucha foaming tool is particularly compact and of sufficiently stabledesign, making it suitable for fulfilling the aforementionedrequirements in the manufacture and/or in the foaming of a headrest.

With the exception of the outlet element, the foaming tool is preferablyinjection moulded in one piece from a plastic material. Such a foamingtool is relatively easy and inexpensive to manufacture in productionengineering terms and is particularly suited to use in the seriesproduction of headrests.

According to a preferred embodiment, the transfer part comprises avisible marker and/or a stop indicating an admissible insertion lengthinto the interior of the headrest. This ensures a correct andreproducibly accurate fitting and fixing of the foaming tool on asupport element of a headrest that is to be foamed.

Further advantages of the invention are set forth in the description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be described in more detail on the basis of apreferred exemplary embodiment, with reference to a schematic drawing,in which

FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a foamed headrest having asupport element arranged inside a cover;

FIG. 2 shows a schematic perspective view of a foaming tool according tothe invention;

FIG. 3 shows a schematic sectional view through the end area of atransfer part of the foaming tool in FIG. 2, on a larger scale and

FIG. 4 shows a schematic sectional view of a detail of a support elementof the headrest with a fixed foaming tool, on a larger scale.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a headrest 10 for a vehicle(not represented in the drawing), which has a foam body 12 and a supportelement 14 integrated therein, which is connected to a headrest stay 56.The foam body 12 is enclosed by a cover 26, which is provided on therear side 30 of the headrest 10 with a recess 28. On the front side 32of the headrest 10 the cover 26 is formed without any recess.

The support element 14 has a plurality of through-openings 24, in thepresent exemplary embodiment with two through-openings 24. Between thethrough-openings 24 the support element 14 is provided with a seat 16 inthe form of a passage, which serves for fixing a foaming tool, whichwill be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

The foaming tool 20 according to FIGS. 2 and 3 serves for filling outthe headrest interior 18 (see also FIG. 1) with a suitable foam. Forthis purpose the foaming tool 20 has a funnel-shaped filling part 34,joined to which is a tubular transfer part 36, which at the end extendsinto an outlet element 38 in the form of a hose. The transfer part 36 isprovided with a stabilizing part 40, which is of tongue-shaped designand is intended for establishing a wedged connection with the seat 16 inthe support element 14 of the headrest 10. For this purpose thestabilizing part 40 of the foaming tool 20 is provided with a free end22, which is inserted from outside through the cover 26 into theheadrest interior 18 of the headrest 10 yet to be foamed (that is to sayinto the headrest 10 having no foam body 12) and can be stably connectedto the seat 16 in the support element 14, forming a wedged connectionbetween the foaming tool 20 and the support element 14. The foaming tool20 with its transfer element 36, its stabilizing part 40 and its outletpart 38 is inserted through the recess 28 in the cover 26 on the rearside 30 of the headrest 10 into the headrest interior 18 to establishsaid wedged connection. A part of the outlet element 38 in the form of ahose and the tubular transfer part 36 protrude externally from the cover26 on the rear side 30 of the headrest 10, so that the funnel-shapedfilling part 34 is freely accessible from outside for the introductionof a suitable foam mass, which must be injected into the headrestinterior 18 by means of the foaming tool 20 in order to form the foambody 12.

According to FIG. 4 the foam material emerging from the outlet element38 of the foaming tool 20 is free to spread out in the headrest interior18 as represented by the arrows 48 and 50, the foam material also beingable to flow according to the arrow 50 through the through-openings 24in the support element 14. Since the outlet element 38 takes the form ofa hose, when the foaming tool 20 is withdrawn on completion of theprocess of foaming the headrest 10, the foam mass still present in thehose-shaped outlet element 38 in the headrest interior 18 is forced out(by the recess 28 in the cover 26 compressing the outlet element 38)into the headrest interior 18 in such a way that the injection area ofthe headrest is completely filled with foam mass up to the cover 26.This serves to avoid any adverse effects on the headrest in terms of itsaesthetic appearance and/or comfort requirements due to incorrect orincomplete foaming of the headrest interior.

According to FIG. 3 the stabilizing part 40 is connected to across-member 42, which is formed at the free end 44 of the transfer part36 (see also FIG. 2). The transfer part 36 is further provided with avisible marker 46 up to which the foaming tool 20 is to be inserted intothe headrest interior 18 of the headrest 10 through the recess 28 in thecover 26, in order to ensure a correct formation of the wedgedconnection between the stabilizing part 40 and the support element 14and to ensure a correct introduction of the foam mass into the headrestinterior 18. For ease of handling when fitting the foaming tool 20, thestabilizing part 40 of the foaming tool 20 is provided with a stop 52 inthe fixing area, with which the support element 14 can come into bearingcontact when the foaming tool 20 assumes a correct fitting position inrelation to the headrest 10 to be foamed.

With the exception of the outlet element 38 in the form of a hose, thefoaming tool 20 is injection moulded in one piece from a suitableplastic material. The outlet element 38 in the form of a hose may bemanufactured from a suitable elastically deformable plastic.

The foaming tool 20 permits a relatively rapid and reproducibly correctfoaming of the headrest interior of a headrest.

1. A headrest (10), in particular for a vehicle, having a supportelement (14) integrated in a foam body (12), wherein the support element(14) has a seat (16) for stabilizing the position of a foaming tool (20)extending into the headrest interior (18) during manufacture of theheadrest.
 2. The headrest according to claim 1, wherein the seat (16)takes the form of a wedged seat for receiving a free end (22) of thefoaming tool (20).
 3. The headrest according to claim 1, wherein theseat (16) takes the form of a passage for wedging a free end (22) of thefoaming tool (20).
 4. The headrest according to claim 1, wherein thesupport element (14) has a plurality of foam mass through-openings (24)and the seat (16) is arranged between two through-openings (24).
 5. Theheadrest according to claim 1, wherein it has a cover (26) with a recess(28), the seat (16) being arranged on the support element (14) basicallyon a level with the recess.
 6. The headrest according to claim 5,wherein the recess (28) is arranged on the rear side (30) of theheadrest (10).
 7. The headrest according to claim 5, wherein the recess(28) is situated in a directly visible area of the headrest (10).
 8. Afoaming tool for the foaming of a headrest according to any one of thepreceding claims, the foaming tool (20) having a filling part (34),joined to which is a transfer part (36), which at the end extends intoan outlet element (38), wherein the transfer part (36) has a stabilizingpart (40), which can be operatively connected to the seat 16 in thesupport element (14) of the headrest (10).
 9. The foaming tool accordingto claim 8, wherein the stabilizing part (40) is of tongue-shapeddesign.
 10. The foaming tool according to claim 8, wherein thestabilizing part (40), at the end, projects from the transfer part (36)in the injection direction of the foam mass.
 11. The foaming toolaccording to claim 8, wherein the stabilizing part (40), in the outletarea of the outlet element (38) has an external contour directing thefoam mass.
 12. The foaming tool according to claim 8, wherein thestabilizing part (40) is connected to a cross-member (42), which isformed at the free end (44) of the transfer part (36).
 13. The foamingtool according to claim 8, wherein with exception of the outlet element(38), it is injection moulded in one piece from a plastic material. 14.The foaming tool according to claim 8, wherein the transfer part (36)comprises a visible marker (46) and/or a stop indicating an admissibleinsertion length into the interior of the headrest (10).